TV Really Might Cause Autism (Slate)

[Evangel]

A Slate exclusive: findings from a new Cornell study.
By Gregg Easterbrook
Posted Monday, Oct. 16, 2006, at 6:52 AM ET

Last month, I speculated in Slate that the mounting incidence of childhood autism may be related to increased television viewing among the very young. The autism rise began around 1980, about the same time cable television and VCRs became common, allowing children to watch television aimed at them any time. Since the brain is organizing during the first years of life and since human beings evolved responding to three-dimensional stimuli, I wondered if exposing toddlers to lots of colorful two-dimensional stimulation could be harmful to brain development. This was sheer speculation, since I knew of no researchers pursuing the question.

Today, Cornell University researchers are reporting what appears to be a statistically significant relationship between autism rates and television watching by children under the age of 3. The researchers studied autism incidence in California, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington state. They found that as cable television became common in California and Pennsylvania beginning around 1980, childhood autism rose more in the counties that had cable than in the counties that did not. They further found that in all the Western states, the more time toddlers spent in front of the television, the more likely they were to exhibit symptoms of autism disorders.

Full article…

 

[Megan7]

A Slate exclusive: findings from a new Cornell study.
By Gregg Easterbrook
Posted Monday, Oct. 16, 2006, at 6:52 AM ET

Last month, I speculated in Slate that the mounting incidence of childhood autism may be related to increased television viewing among the very young. The autism rise began around 1980, about the same time cable television and VCRs became common, allowing children to watch television aimed at them any time. Since the brain is organizing during the first years of life and since human beings evolved responding to three-dimensional stimuli, I wondered if exposing toddlers to lots of colorful two-dimensional stimulation could be harmful to brain development. This was sheer speculation, since I knew of no researchers pursuing the question.

Today, Cornell University researchers are reporting what appears to be a statistically significant relationship between autism rates and television watching by children under the age of 3. The researchers studied autism incidence in California, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington state. They found that as cable television became common in California and Pennsylvania beginning around 1980, childhood autism rose more in the counties that had cable than in the counties that did not. They further found that in all the Western states, the more time toddlers spent in front of the television, the more likely they were to exhibit symptoms of autism disorders.

Full article…

I definitely agree with this. I see the difference in children who watch too much vs. the ones who do not watch at all…
A great article. Thanks:thumbsup:
God bless.

 

[Dandelion_Wine]

Interesting article.

My brother has two sons and both are autistic. I remember my sister-in-law frantically calling because at age 2 her son really wasn’t talking. I knew that before their oldest could even sit up by himself, they’d prop him up in front of the t.v. and play movies. I suggested that they turn off the t.v. and read to him more.

I can’t believe it’s the ‘cause’, but I can see how it could be a factor.

 

[Megan7]

Interesting article.

My brother has two sons and both are autistic. I remember my sister-in-law frantically calling because at age 2 her son really wasn’t talking. I knew that before their oldest could even sit up by himself, they’d prop him up in front of the t.v. and play movies. I suggested that they turn off the t.v. and read to him more.

I can’t believe it’s the ‘cause’, but I can see how it could be a factor.

I am sorry about your nephews
I have seen mothers place a TV in front of new born babies, to keep them company Very sad…
I have also seen friends & relatives read a lot to their children & forbid TV viewing, and those children began to read at the age of 4 & or 5 & love to read.
The other ones do not behave the same at all & have behavioral problems.
Doctors have done scans on children watching TV vs. TV FREE children & there is a difference…
I personally think it is a factor, as well as all of the processed junk we all eat. Whatever the woman ate 1 or 2 years prior to conceiving. I have read it can be from the excess of High fructose corn syrup (which appeared in everything in the 1970’s, I believe…) to fluoride in our water, etc. In countries where fluoride is not part of the drinking water,
you do not read about autism cases like in the US. In the US we have way too
much of it, something is wrong…

Bottom line in my humble opinion, excess TV watching + video games are a factor in what is going on with children today.

God bless.

 

[Joe_5859]

When I come across articles like this, I am always reminded of the maxim “correlation does not imply causation.”

Honestly, reflecting on brain development and all that, I have had the same thought about TV and autism, but I’m skeptical. My son is autistic and I don’t feel like he watched an abnormally large amount of TV as a baby.

 

[Megan7]

When I come across articles like this, I am always reminded of the maxim “correlation does not imply causation.”

Honestly, reflecting on brain development and all that, I have had the same thought about TV and autism, but I’m skeptical. My son is autistic and I don’t feel like he watched an abnormally large amount of TV as a baby.

Hi Joe,

I always enjoy your posts, thank you
I am sorry about your son.
I think it is a bit odd that we have sooo many autistic children in the US. When you
travel to other countries, that is not the case. That is why I said, that I think it is a combination of a couple of factors, TV viewing, video games, too much exposure to techy games, products, etc.
Fluoride in the water (a lot of countries do not place fluoride in their water, and they do not have problems with cavities, they just use tooth paste with it, they do not injest it) And then there is our wonderful diet
I think it is like the perfect storm… I have read of cases, where children improved
with a special diet.
Thanks for your post.

God bless

 

[Bobby_Jim]

Yet another thing parents will latch onto and beat themselves up over, convinced they did something wrong that made their child autistic… wrong diet, vaccines, having kids too old, having kids too closely spaced, too much TV, etc.

 

[Joe_5859]

Yet another thing parents will latch onto and beat themselves up over, convinced they did something wrong that made their child autistic… wrong diet, vaccines, having kids too old, having kids too closely spaced, too much TV, etc.

Indeed. It’s second nature to want to be able to p(name removed by moderator)oint an exact cause for things like this. The idea that it was something we did (and thus would have been completely and easily within our control to prevent) is pretty horrifying.

It’s an odd phenomenon all around. I think the statistics right now are around 1 in 88 births is a child with autism. It seems to be increasing in incidence exponentially. And yet, if you look at all the things that have changed in the last 30 years, you can drive yourself mad trying to figure it out. Maybe it’s the increased use of computers. Or cell phones. Or the introduction of the pet rock. Or the increase in pharmaceutical solutions to every problem. Or air pollution. Or water pollution. Or global warming. Or global cooling. Etc. Etc. Etc.

It’s hard not knowing the cause.